The Diplomat
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, will participate from tomorrow until Wednesday in Brussels in the NATO Ministerial Meeting. The meeting will take place a few days after the ratification of Finland’s accession, which, precisely, could be made official in Brussels.
According to the Alliance, the meeting, to be held at NATO headquarters in Brussels and chaired by NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg, will include a meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Commission with Finland, Sweden and Ukraine, as well as a keynote speech and a press conference by Stoltenberg.
The second day will include a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at Foreign Minister level with Finland and Sweden, a statement by the NATO Secretary General with representatives of Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, and a meeting of the North Atlantic Council at Foreign Minister level with NATO partners, as well as a further public opening address and a final press conference by Jens Stoltenberg.
The meeting comes just days after Turkey’s National Assembly decided to ratify Finland’s NATO membership and all 30 member states of the Atlantic Alliance have given their blessing to the accession of a country that for years has been characterized by its refusal to align itself militarily. With this accession, NATO will add more than 1,300 kilometers to its border with Russia.
In this regard, Jens Stoltenberg expressed this past Friday his “satisfaction” with this news, which “will make Finland more secure and NATO stronger.” “Finland has very capable forces, advanced capabilities and strong democratic institutions. So Finland will bring a lot to our alliance,” he added.
“Last year,” he recalled, “the Allies took the historic decision to invite Finland and Sweden to join our Alliance (specifically, during the June 2022 NATO Summit in Madrid) and, “since then, we have witnessed the fastest ratification process in modern NATO history.” “All Allies agree that a swift conclusion of Sweden’s ratification process will be in everyone’s interest,” continued Stoltenberg, who specified that Finland’s official entry into the Alliance could take place “in the coming days.” “I look forward to also welcoming Sweden as a full member of the NATO family as soon as possible,” he concluded.
